Our View: Construction season, hello

That’s right. It’s construction season across Illinois and McHenry County. Snowplows have been replaced by asphalt trucks.

You undoubtedly will come upon a construction zone on your daily commute or while running errands around town. And although it is frustrating to hit the brakes and slow down – especially when you’re 10 minutes late – it is important you do so. It could save a life.

Slow down in construction zones and obey posted speed limits. Stay off that mobile phone while driving through an area under construction. It is against the law to be on the phone in a construction area unless you are using a hands-free device. Fines are steep for infractions in construction zones.

So take your time and be aware of some of these bigger projects as you plan your route:

• Algonquin bypass: Work started last fall and is scheduled to last until September 2014. This spring, work will be focused on Algonquin Road from Meyer Drive to Route 31, on Route 31 from Edgewood Road to Huntington Drive and from Cary-Algonquin Road to Linden Avenue, and on the new bypass route of Route 31.

• Johnsburg Road: Phase one of the project is scheduled to start this spring and last until the fall. Crews will be working on the reconstruction and widening of the road. Travel will be restricted to westbound only from the St. Johns Avenue-Chapel Hill Road intersection west to Cherokee Drive. Eastbound traffic will be detoured.

• Charles Miller Road: Widening and reconstruction is expected to last until the fall from Route 31 to River Road. The project includes the construction of a new bridge over the Fox River.

• Walkup Road: Intersection improvement work will resume at Route 176 and Walkup Road. The pavement will be restriped between Crystal Ridge Drive and Talismon Drive and existing pavement will be removed and replaced. Utilities also will be buried underground.

• McHenry Avenue in Crystal Lake: Scheduled to begin this summer, the project will include resurfacing between Rakow Road and Route 14 and storm sewer improvements.